1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for tracking injured people from the scene of the incident until their arrival at a hospital. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for accounting for and tracking injured people at a mass casualty incident such as an airplane crash scene or a chemical plant explosion from the scene of the incident to a hospital.
2. Description of the Related Art
An airplane crash, building bombing, chemical plant explosion, and other disasters resulting in large numbers of injured people at one location is referred to as a Multiple/Mass Casualty Incident (MCI). Such incidents greatly strain the resources of hospitals, emergency personnel, and other organizations such as local police responding to the needs of the victims of the disaster. Whether it""s a fifty-unit rescue organization responding to a plane crash with over three hundred victims, or a two unit service responding to a wreck with fifteen victims, there is an urgent need to disseminate information concerning the medical status of the victims among the personnel treating the victims at the site or scene of the incident and to a hospital receiving the victims. Information about the total number of victims, the amount and type of available emergency equipment, and the amount and type of resources of local hospitals at the time of the incident is critical to prevent further loss of life, aggravation of injuries, and unnecessary pain and suffering.
Exemplary of the prior art are the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,164,320; 4,476,381; 4,857,713; 4,857,716; 5,006,699; 5,291,399; 5,528,025; 5,596,652; 5,760,704 and 5,793,882.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a system which enables emergency medical services, police departments, fire departments, hospitals, and government officials to electronically track a victim""s medical status and location in a multiple injury incident in real-time to ensure that the victim receives the most appropriate and immediate medical treatment available. This system also allows for the immediate sharing of vital information with all responding agencies and members of the community who are affected by the incident. The system initiates data collection when the first emergency vehicle arrives at the scene of the incident and ends data collection when the last patient or victim has been delivered to the hospital. The term xe2x80x9cpatientxe2x80x9d as used herein shall refer to victims of the multiple-casualty incident. All of such data is stored throughout the occurrence of the incident for review and analysis after all of the victims of the incident have been placed in hospitals or other treatment facilities. The system is based on a national standard of treatment incident which is classified as a Multiple/Mass Casualty Incident or a multiple injury incident.
The present invention has the following advantages:
a. Increases the accuracy of reporting the number of injured victims at a large accident and the severity of these victims in a real-time mode;
b. Accurately establishes and stores a timeline of patient care and removal from the scene of the incident that can be reviewed at a later date;
c. Reduces error and redundancy of resources at a multiple-casualty scene;
d. Provides accurate information to hospitals and other treatment facilities concerning the number, and medical status, of patients being sent to them and enables the facility, if necessary, to redirect the patient to a more appropriate facility;
e. Enables the agencies involved in providing help to the victims to have a real-time picture of the incident to provide the best response; and
f. Provides a mechanism to collect and store data, on a national/international level, which can be used by others for statistical analysis or planning.